The White Sox head into 2027 with one clear mandate hanging over the whole staff: they need more pitching, and they need it to work.
That reality was baked into the second half of 2026, when manager Will Venable leaned on openers and bullpen games less out of preference than necessity. Injuries and uneven performance forced his hand, and the rotation picture never really settled down.
Sean Burke was the one constant. He emerged as the most dependable starter on the roster and, in Game 5 of the ALDS, looked every bit like the arm the White Sox can build around. He had the bad luck of seeing White Sox serial killer Jose Ramirez launch a pitch in the dirt out of the stadium for the game’s only runs, but Burke’s role for next season is already pretty clear: he should be the staff ace.
Beyond Burke, the picture gets murkier fast.
Davis Martin flashed front-line form in the first half before falling apart after the All-Star Game, then landing on the IL with a blister. That injury may have doubled as a way to give him a reset, though the later revelation of some kind of leg injury near the end of the season adds another layer to his uneven year.
The White Sox would love the version of Martin who dominated early, but expecting that level again may be asking too much. If he settles somewhere between those two extremes, he still profiles as a solid number two or three starter.
Anthony Kay brings a different set of issues. The left-hander has had trouble controlling the running game of sorts at the plate - he plunks too many batters - and he just hasn’t been able to consistently get past the fourth inning.
Whether that’s a stamina issue, a third-time-through-the-order problem, or both, it has to be addressed. Still, if he can regularly deliver five solid innings, he could become a real piece of the rotation.
Then there’s Luis Castillo, the biggest question on the board. The trade-deadline addition is still under contract, but he hasn’t come close to justifying that deal since arriving.
He had one very good start and not much else. That leaves the Sox with a simple but difficult choice: figure out how to get him right, or find a way to move him and the money attached to him in a trade.
If Castillo is back in the mix, he needs to be the pitcher the White Sox thought they were getting.
The Sox have also said at least one of Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz, and Grant Taylor could be stretched out into a starter. Of that group, Smith looks like the cleanest fit to me.
He handled opener duty well enough and showed he can be tough to hit. Schultz may still be a starter someday, but he probably arrived too early, first with strike-throwing issues and then with strikes that were getting knocked around.
By the end of the year, he looked better in mostly low-leverage spots, but he may still need more minor-league time. Taylor, meanwhile, has the stuff and mentality to close if the Sox move back toward a more traditional bullpen structure.
He had a rough inning when Chicago had a chance to clinch against Cleveland, but he was also heroic earlier in the postseason, even if he had some general struggles against the Guardians.
Erick Fedde is another important piece, even though he’s a pending free agent. He did yeoman’s work, and if the Sox bring him back, he could fill either a fifth-starter role or work as a long-relief bulk arm. That would give them a useful layer of stability.
The upper levels of the system offer some help, too. Drew Thorpe, David Sandlin, Shane Smith, and Jonathan Cannon are all starters worth watching in the minors.
Sandlin finished 2026 with some decent outings, and Thorpe looks likely to reach the big club at some point in 2027. Cannon spent most of the year at Charlotte, where he went 5-7 with a 4.78 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 122 1/3 innings.
Shane Smith, who struggled in three big-league starts in Chicago, also remains in the mix, though both he and Cannon need more work before they can be counted on as regulars. Sandlin or Thorpe could realistically fill a fourth- or fifth-starter role, and Smith or Cannon could get there too with more seasoning.
Outside the organization, the Sox may have to shop. The free-agent list is deep, but the big-money names are probably out of reach, and Chicago is unlikely to chase someone like Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta.
Still, there are options worth monitoring. Casey Mize is only 30.
Kris Bubic is on the board. Foster Griffin could be a name to steal from the Guardians.
Clay Holmes might make sense, especially if he was already a trade target earlier this year. Lucas Giolito coming back would be a nice story, but it doesn’t feel likely.
Walker Buehler is at least intriguing.
For now, the most realistic path looks like Burke, Martin, and Kay, plus two external additions - or one external arm and Hagen Smith in the rotation. Fedde, if re-signed, fits best as the long guy out of the bullpen.
It’s not a finished staff yet. Not close. But there are enough moving parts here to build something better than what the White Sox had in the stretch run of 2026 - if the right arms get right, and if the front office supplements them in the right places.
In Other News...
White Sox Face A Tough Sam Antonacci Decision This Offseason
Sam Antonaccis first taste of the majors gave the White Sox something to think about heading into the winter. The rookie debuted in 2026 as a leadoff option, but his bat never fully settled in against lefties and his work in the outfield left enough questions for the front office to revisit how he fits long term. Chris Getz has already signaled that Chicago could look to upgrade the outfield this offseason, which only adds to the pressure on a decision involving a player who still has some appeal.
Joel Sherman recently added another wrinkle by mentioning Antonacci as a possible trade fit with the Yankees, with the White Sox potentially looking to bring back pitching in a deal. It is the kind of offseason talk that usually follows a young player with upside and uncertainty in equal measure, and Chicago will have to weigh whether it is better off keeping him in the picture or using that value to address a more obvious need. For now, the question is less about whether Antonacci has a place in the organization and more about what kind of return would make moving him worthwhile. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Prospect Could Become A Dangerous Bat If One Thing Clicks
The White Sox added another intriguing bat to their prospect mix in the 2026 draft, taking high school infielder Cole Prosek and sending him to begin his pro career at Low-A Kannapolis. He joins a class that also includes names like Roch Cholowsky and Landon Thome, and the early buzz around Prosek centers on the bat. There is enough there offensively to make him a prospect worth watching, especially for a club still trying to build depth and impact talent at the lower levels.
What makes Prosek especially interesting is that his future is still being shaped in real time. The organization will have to sort out where he fits defensively, and that decision could end up mattering as much as anything for how quickly his bat plays up. For now, the White Sox can simply let the development process run its course and see whether his offensive game keeps trending in the right direction as he settles into pro ball. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Pipeline Still Looks Loaded After Baseball Americas New List
Baseball Americas latest look at the games top graduated prospects for 2026 offered another reminder that the White Sox system still carries real weight, even as the organization keeps pushing its wave of young talent forward. The list is built around each players upside and projected role, and it gives a broader snapshot of how much high-end talent has filtered through the White Sox pipeline in recent years.
The club is represented multiple times on the rankings, a sign that the rebuild has not emptied out the upper levels the way some feared it might. For a team still trying to turn prospect buzz into sustained big league production, having several names surface on a national list like this is the kind of external validation that keeps the farm system in the conversation, even with more of the story still to come. [Read more 🡒]